


Crimson and the Dragons

by Empyrial



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: AU Rock Band, Ao is actually a dog, F/M, Getting Together, Hak is a badass, Jae-ha is sex on a stick, Lead Singer Yona, Security Guard Hak, Soo-Won is definitely the bad guy, The Dragons all play instruments, Yoon is a Mother Hen, there is some kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Empyrial/pseuds/Empyrial
Summary: “Yona! Are you ok?” Yoon exclaimed as he dashed over to assess his lead singer.“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Yona tried to reassure him.“It’s a good thing we recently hired Hak as head of security,” Yoon said, once it was established that Yona was, indeed, just fine. “That sand bag could have done some serious damage to you. Lucky we had him to save the day!”“So lucky,” Yona muttered under her breath, ignoring how nice it felt to have Hak’s arms around her, flying uncontrollably through the sky with only him as an anchor.“Really, Princess,” Hak drawled, cutting into the conversation for the first time. “If you have any complaints with the way I save you, please let me know and I will rectify them immediately.”An AU where Yona is the lead singer of the rock band Crimson and the Dragons. They've managed to become a successful group after Soo-Won betrayed them, yet it appears someone is still out to get them by targeting Yona. If these attacks persist, she'll need to be able to defend herself, and the Head of Security, the Thunder Beast himself, is only too happy to assist.
Relationships: Son Hak/Yona
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Crimson and the Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a gift for a dear friend working overseas who needed a taste of home and a reason for mutual gushing over the Thunder Beast. But really, do we ever need a reason to gush over Hak? ;)

The house was packed. The venue had been sold out for months. There were barely any scalpers outside trying to sell tickets, as this show was so big, no one wanted to chance getting a fake. This was one of the most popular bands in the industry on a nation-wide tour, and tonight’s concert goers would one day reminisce to their grandchildren of the time they were privileged to see the legendary Crimson and the Dragons. 

And for the life of her, Yona could not get her hair to cooperate.

“Yona! Ten minutes to curtain!” Yona’s Manager, Yoon, said as he knocked on her dressing room door. They were at a large concert arena with a huge stadium complete with backstage rooms, a dance studio, a gym, and ample parking behind the complex for their tour buses. 

“Got it!” Yona called back. She regarded herself in the mirror again and sighed. To hell with it, she picked up an elaborate hairpin and created a messy bun on the side of her head, sticking the pin through. 

It looked good. Nodding in satisfaction Yona was about to leave her dressing room but got a better look at the hairpin. She hadn’t given it much thought, just grabbed it. Yet it was the one he had given her. Grimacing, Yona yanked out the pin and let her bright red hair fall in messy waves around her shoulders. There was no way she was going to wear that thing in public. Besides, she was a rock star; a messy look was often a part of the uniform. 

Also, she needed to buy more hairpins. 

Promising herself this was the last change she would make to her appearance tonight, Yona self-decreed she was finally dressed and ready. She wore tight black leather pants, big, silver-studded black boots, and a cropped white t-shirt that came barely below her breasts. She definitely looked like The Princess of Rock the tabloids had proclaimed her to be. 

Yona opened the door and almost collided with a wall of muscle in front of her. Strong arms reached around to hold her close. She looked up into a handsome face with sensual bedroom eyes and a smug smile. 

“Yona, darling, fancy running into you out here,” the man holding her said. 

“Jae-ha! Will you quit doing this to me?” Yona exclaimed as she wormed her way out of his grip. “It’s very disconcerting the number of times I run into you!”

“But how else will I get to hold you?” Jae-ha pouted. 

“You have many, many groupies. Hug one of them.” 

“You wound me, Princess!” Jae-ha dramatically clutched his chest. It was very well defined thanks to the skin-tight racer-back tank top he was wearing, and matched nicely with his green snakeskin leather pants. 

“And will you stop calling me that!”

“But it fits you so well!” Another man peered around Jae-ha. He was a little younger, with a more open face and a softer smile, but was no less handsome. “You’re a Princess to us.” 

“I’m your lead singer. Not a Princess. There’s a difference, Kija,” Yona addressed the second man who was wearing light khaki slacks and a sky blue V-neck t-shirt. 

Kija started to ramble a retort when movement down the hall caught her eye. It was her other band member, Shin-ah, the most silent of them. He had short, blue dyed hair and often wore a pair of wrap-around sunglasses for his extremely sensitive eyes. He was tapping a finger on his watch in silent communication that they were going to be late. Shin-ah often dressed in darker colors, trying to remain unnoticed and in the background, and tonight was no exception with his black jeans and dark blue Hensley shirt. 

“I know, I know!” Yona called to him. 

The last member came bounding around a corner of the hallway. He was the shortest of the other men and had long, bushy blonde hair that he often wore with a bandana tied around his head, like a classic ‘80’s rock star. “Hey,” the ball of sunshine wearing caramel harem pants and a dark red tank top said. “Did you know we’re going to be late?”

“Yes Zeno,” Yona addressed him. “We’re on our way.” 

She moved past Kija and Jae-ha, comfortingly patting Shin-ah on the arm as she walked past. He nodded at her. 

With Yona leading the way, the group made their way through the backstage hallways to the stage. Yoon was there, standing off to the side of the stage. They could hear the roar of the crowd shortly beyond. 

“You idiotic party animals are cutting it rather close,” he irritably said. He looked every bit the part of a harassed manager in his charcoal slacks and white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top few buttons undone. Still, he was a rock band manager, and the rolled up sleeves showed off the large, stylish and colorful feather tattoo he head on his forearm.

“Sorry, Yoon,” Yona said, raising up just a bit on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Yoon was only a few inches taller than Yona, and she was a very petite 5’1”. 

“We’re such troublesome kids for you,” Jae-ha said, this time draping his long body over Yoon.

Yoon elbowed him in the stomach, causing Jae-ha to grunt and stumble away. “You’re the worst animal of them all,” Yoon calmly said as the others laughed. 

“Presenting…!” the announcer called over the loudspeakers. 

“Showtime gang!” Yona said, hopping a little in place, feeling the adrenaline begin to flood her system in anticipation. 

“Crimson! Aaaaaand the Dragoooooons!”

Yona ran out on stage, the four men flanking her. The crowd went wild, cheering and clapping. Yona went up to the microphone in center stage, waving at the excited crowd. To her right Shin-ah warmed up his bass guitar, while on her left Zeno plucked a few chords. Behind them was Kija on the grand piano, and Jae-ha on the drums. 

“Let’s get this party started!” Yona called out, causing the crowd to cheer even more. “Count us in, Jae-ha!”

Raising his drumsticks into the hair and clapping them in time Jae-ha yelled “A five, six, seven, eight!”

And the music started. 

As usual, it was just about perfect. Yona reveled in it. She always felt most in sync with her friends when they were playing together. They harmonized, and melded together with their voices and various instruments and it was always magic. 

Yona believed she had the most talented band members on the planet, and that the sum of their individual strengths equated to an outstanding solution. In the course of their career they had become a hugely successful band with several albums that had “gone Platinum” and achieved multiple awards including a Grammy. 

First, there was Kija. He was a young, idealistic man who was trying to bring back the mullet as a hairstyle. Yet no one could mock him for this as his own snow white hair fashionably cut into a sort-of mullet just looked so good on him. He had originally trained as a classical pianist, and as such had incredibly strong hands, so much so that his hands seemed to glide across the keys making complex chords seemingly effortless. For a rock band, he was their most proper member, and often after gigs enjoyed a hot soak in a bubble bath with a glass of chilled white wine. 

Then there was Shin-ah, their enigmatic member who said little and instead let the music speak for him. He played the bass, and while that made it appear like he was in the background, what few actually knew is that he had an “eye” for the music. He was their main songwriter, and was able to pick out what notes needed to be heightened or softened for prime effect. A rare genetic eye condition left him with extremely sensitive eyes, which required him to wear heavy-duty sunglasses, but this simply added to his rock star sex appeal. Those fans who were lucky enough to see his eyes claimed that they were the most beautifully colored in the whole world, however no magazine or paparazzi had ever captured him without his signature shades. Shin-ah was incredibly shy though, and rarely came out of his shell for people outside the band. But this did not mean he was alone, as he had a loyal pet, a small rescue dog named Ao, who always stayed by his side and gave him any companionship he might need. 

The third member of the band and the oldest of them all was the designated sex god. Add to the fact that he was a brilliant drummer simply heightened his appeal. The drummer position required great physical strength, a fact that not many consciously knew. Yet Jae-ha had years of both musical and strength training experience to make him the best in his field. With his strong legs he had the fastest beat of any drummer on the planet. And for the ladies, he would often purr in his sultry voice that he could “go all night long” and let them figure out what exactly he meant by that statement. He often dyed his hair a dark green color, and wore it long and pulled back into a ponytail, which heightened his shimmering green eyes. It was an odd look, and yet it suited him so well, and somehow managed to make him even more appealing to both the ladies and even a few gents. 

Their final member was Zeno, the rambunctious guitarist. When Zeno first joined the band he rounded them out in ways none of them were expecting. Zeno wasn’t the most brilliant guitarist, and he (according specifically to Jae-ha) wasn’t the most sensual of all the band members, and yet he held a certain je ne sais quoi that combined his music with the others to make magic. Zeno had indeed played for other, older, and more established bands, and yet had never had the magical connection that he possessed with Crimson and the Dragons. Kija and Jae-ha often proclaimed that he was the heart of the band, and that they would all be bereft without him. 

As for Yona, she was regarded as the “leader” of the band, being the lead singer and all, yet she relied on these men as much as they relied on her. She had a high clear voice that could be turned into something almost otherworldly when paired with her band mate’s instruments. It was a beautiful partnership born out of the purest friendship. It was difficult to describe, and the closest word they could all agree upon was that they had a bond together. Indeed, they were all so close that any one of the band members would lay down their life for the other. 

Perhaps this was all because of the original bandleader, Soo-Won. Soo-Won had a haunting, crooning sort of voice, and had originally led Crimson and the Dragons. Back then, Yona was a simple harmonizer and played back up to Soo-Won’s lead. They were just starting to become a successful, recognizable and chart-toping group, yet it all came crashing down when it was discovered that Soo-Won had been embezzling the band’s profits. 

The band’s connections with each other frayed as the scandal broke around them and each party hired a lawyer. When the dust settled one thing became- sadly- clear: Soo-Won was out, and facing a prison sentence, and Yona was the new leader of Crimson and the Dragons. 

At first, it was a rough few years as the band tried to salvage its reputation. For a while, they were preforming at obscure concerts and were even signed on as a band in the disastrous “Fyre Festival”. Yet they persevered and in the end talent won out as bit by bit they clawed back what they had lost and once again the band known as Crimson and the Dragons was back on the top of the charts and was seen as a musical contender to be reckoned with. 

And gradually, people forgot about Soo-Won and the small prison sentence he had been charged to. Yet Yona never forgot where they had been. And likewise, Soo-Won never forgot what had put him in prison. He blamed her for his current situation, as Yona had acted as a key witness in the case and had testified against her former lead singer. 

Personally, Yona hoped he rotted there and that she never had to see him again. It didn’t help that at the time they had been lovers and she’d had no idea what he had been up to. In fact, the hairpin she had almost worn tonight had been given to her by Soo-Won the day before he’d been arrested. Both as a woman and as a band member, Soo-Won had deeply betrayed Yona. She could only thank her lucky stars that when the trial broke she was not implicated in his schemes. 

Now, Yona could say that the band was stronger than before. They had cut off the diseased limb that was holding them down, and could now play for the pure joy of playing. Luckily, they had fans who thought that style of music was brilliant and worth buying expensive tickets for. 

As Yona crooned out the last ballad of the set to signal the end of the night, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of completion and accomplishment. After all they had been through as a band, they were here, in a prime location with a sold out crowd. It had taken so long to get to this point, yet Yona thanked all the possible gods that she was so blessed. 

She bowed to a roar of cheers, and once she straightened gestured behind her to the band mates who had become family. They all bowed to the audience as well, and female shrieks of glee sounded out as Jae-ha ripped his shirt off and tossed it to the screaming crowd. 

Yona laughed as she waved goodbye and led the band offstage. The curtain closed, and they were done for the evening. 

Yona bounded backstage to hug her band mates. “That was amazing!” she exclaimed, as she extricated herself from the group hug. 

“We really synced up well tonight,” Kija replied. 

The others began talking in a flurry of exclamations about how alive the crowd felt and how on point the music was in return. Yona took a step back to observe the four other men and hug herself in joy. Tonight’s concert would certainly go down in their personal history book. 

Suddenly, Yona heard Yoon cry “Look out!” and looked up to see one of the stage’s sand bag weights come hurtling straight at her head. There was nothing she could do, and just stood in shock as she watched it come closer to cracking her skull like an eggshell.

The next thing Yona knew she was knocked sideways as a large, masculine body slammed into her. Warm, solid arms wrapped around her, and instead of hitting the hardwood floor of the stage; Yona was propelled on to something softer, and yet still hard and firm. It was difficult to explain the sensation, until she realized that what had happened was that Hak, their head of security, had jumped to grab her round her middle to shove her out of the way of the falling sand bag, and then twisted in midair so that when they hit the floor Yona landed on him and not hard ground. 

“Princess,” Hak breathed into her ear as he still held her against his own body. “You should not press your body against a man so. It will give him lewd ideas.” 

“Oh, you are the worst!” Yona said, as she became an edgy creature of knees and elbows and extricated herself from Hak’s grip. She tried to tell herself that his arms weren’t really that comfortable… Not one bit…

Hak was the sort of man who was attractive without trying to be. He was tall and muscular with chiseled facial features combined with shaggy black hair. It attempted to hide the blue fire that burned bright in his dark eyes when he was irked, but failed to fully contain it. He was also the strongest man Yona or any of the other band members had ever known…and it showed. 

Yet while Hak made for an excellent security guard, he was always needling Yona, as if to reveal any weakness she might have that could be exploited. Yona, to her credit, always dished back what Hak served up and it was a merry chase that kept both of them on their toes. 

“Yona! Are you ok?” Yoon exclaimed as he dashed over to assess his lead singer. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Yona tried to reassure him. 

“It’s a good thing we recently hired Hak as head of security,” Yoon said, once it was established that Yona was, indeed, just fine. “That sand bag could have done some serious damage to you. Lucky we had him to save the day!”

“So lucky,” Yona muttered under her breath, ignoring how nice it felt to have Hak’s arms around her, flying uncontrollably through the sky with only him as an anchor. 

“Really, Princess,” Hak drawled, cutting into the conversation for the first time. “If you have any complaints with the way I save you, please let me know and I will rectify them immediately.” 

“Not happening any time soon,” Yona growled at him. 

“Yona!” Yoon admonished. “He just saved you!”

Yona pondered this for a minute. It was true that Hak had indeed just saved her, but he was always teasing her, like a small boy in class, the kind that pulled girls’ hair. Still, their band would have been done for had the sand bag landed on her head. 

“Thank you,” she finally growled out. 

“Now, Princess, was that so hard?” Hak teasingly asked. 

“Immensely.” 

Hak didn’t get a chance to retort to this, as Yona’s four Dragons swarmed all over her again, double-checking that she was indeed all right. 

Yona tried to bat them all away as they fussed over her, her repeated “I’m fine” falling on deaf ears. 

“You know,” Yoon thoughtfully said as Yona tried to extricate herself from the dog-pile of her fellow band members. “This is the third incident this week that you’ve been involved in, Yona.” 

“The stage door was not my fault!” Yona protested. A trap door had suddenly opened up in the middle of their set. Yona had, of course, not been expecting it and could have suffered a serious injury from the fall, yet Hak had happened to be underneath the stage and had caught her in his strong arms as she fell. 

“No, but then there was also the curtain coming down too early.” 

Though no one had given the order, the curtain had begun to fall down at an alarming rate, right over Yona. Had Hak not jumped from off stage to again crash into her and push her out of the way, she would have suffered a grievous injury from the weight of the massive curtain landing on her when she was unprotected. 

“This is all starting to sound like sabotage to me,” Jae-ha said, throwing a heavy, yet protective, arm across Yona’s shoulders. 

From his side Shin-ah eagerly nodded his agreement. 

“Sabotage against the band, or against Yona?” Kija asked, folding his muscular forearms across his chest and looking very indignant at the thought of either. 

“Well,” Yoon said, tapping a finger on his cheek in thought. “It could be one and the same. It’s all been centered around Yona.” 

“Only so far!” Yona protested.

“But,” Yoon continued. “You’re the leader of Crimson and the Dragons. Take out you, and who else would be the lead singer?”

“We’d have to break up the band without you,” Zeno piped up. 

“And I can’t sing,” Hak sardonically replied. 

Yona stuck her tongue out at him. 

“But,” Hak said, more seriously. “I will tighten up security even more. I have some friends I know at Wind Tribe Holdings, that prestigious security firm across the state. I can call them in to help.”

“Can they be trusted to be discreet?” Yoon asked. It might come off as a harsh question, but they all knew this was Yoon’s job, he asked the tough questions that needed to be asked. 

“I would trust them with my life,” Hak answered. 

“Make the call then. We need more eyes. Everyone else, constant vigilance! Keep your eyes peeled and watch each other’s backs!” 

“In the meantime,” Jae-ha said, his bright green eyes twinkling full of mischief. “We just had a smashing good show, and I say we celebrate!”

“Party in the band room!” Zeno cheered with a fist pump. 

None of them bothered to suggest going downtown for a night out, as they knew Yoon would bite their heads off for such a suggestion after their safety discussion. And the band room was spacious enough for them and fully stocked with food and drinks. 

The band members, plus Ao, Yoon, and a few other assistants they considered dear friends, all piled into the band room to celebrate. Champagne was uncorked, and elaborate toasts were made to the band’s success. Yona sipped some champagne and laughed with her friends, but soon grew a little weary of the small crowd and longed for some alone time. 

Waving goodnight to her Dragons, she slipped away to the arena gym. Though it was late, and Yona was still in her rock outfit, all sweat-stained from moving constantly across the stage, she knew she would just toss and turn if she went to bed now with all the thoughts of sabotage tumbling through her mind. Yona turned on the lights of the dance studio and walked to the center of the room. 

First, to clear her mind and even her breathing, Yona began doing some Tai chi exercises. She closed her eyes and started pushing and pulling the air around her, keeping her attention focused on making precise movements and steady breathing. 

Once she felt sufficiently warmed up she moved into some basic Aikido exercises. She had only just recently picked up this martial art, as its aim was to use opponents’s strength against themselves. Since Yona was quite petite and could be easily physically overpowered, she figured that this was one of the better ways to go for self-defense. Yet she only knew a few moves and was mostly self-taught from Youtube videos. However, she continued her movements, determined to do her best with her limited foundation. 

She was so determined and focused that it came as a shock when all of a sudden there was another arm striking against her own. Yona yelped and leaped back. 

“That’s not how you disarm an assailant, Princess,” Hak seriously said, yet somehow Yona knew he was laughing at her. 

“You startled me,” she ground out.

“Well it’s not like an attacker is going to politely announce themselves.”

Yona didn’t bother to respond, but just scowled at him.

“How long have you been training in Aikido?” Hak asked more seriously. 

“Not long,” Yona said, looking down at her feet. “And what I know is only through watching the same Youtube videos over and over.” 

Hak began to take off his oversized band-logoed windbreaker jacket, revealing a sleeveless dark blue T-shirt and his black jeans. Yona tried not to goggle at the definition of his arms. He wore one of those shoulder gun holsters, and had a large knife strapped to hang down his spine. It made his broad shoulders appear even larger and Yona had to force herself to look at Hak in the eyes and not show how much her eyes wanted to roam over his body. 

“I can teach you,” Hak said. 

“You know Aikido?”

“I know just about all of the martial arts. Aikido’s not bad for you, but I’d also like to teach you some Krav Maga. That way you attack back at those attacking you.” 

Yona studied him. “Somehow I have the feeling that you won’t be very nice to me as my teacher.” 

Hak leaned down to Yona so that his face was mere inches away from hers. Yona tried to hide her reaction of how his nearness affected her. All of a sudden she was very aware that she was still in a crop-top shirt and if she took a very big breath her breasts would press up against Hak. And she didn’t mind the thought of that…

“I am always nice,” Hak said with an unrepentant grin before his face sobered and his voice dropped. “But most importantly, I vow to always keep you safe.” 

For once, he wasn’t teasing her. And Yona believed with all of her heart that Hak would always be there for her. 

“Fine then,” Yona said, turning away to break his gaze and attempt to hide her blush. “Teach me how to defend myself.” 

“Just as a last resort,” Hak warned. “I indeed to protect you even if it means my own end.”

“Why? Why on earth would you risk yourself for me?”

“You give so much to your family, the Dragons. You hardly have anything left over for yourself. Rest easy that you can rely on me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” 

He said this so seriously, looking so intensely into her eyes that Yona could see a spark of blue passion light in his eyes. 

“But,” Hak continued, leaning back to cross his arms and breaking whatever mood was building. “You don’t have any form for shit. So let’s start fresh tomorrow. Give you a new foundation to build on.” 

“Fine,” Yona agreed, the adrenaline from the show finally leaving her body in one fell swoop, leaving her suddenly tired. “Meet here at 10am?” 

“Oh Princess, it’s already pushing 2am! Let’s meet at 8.” 

Yona punched him in the arm. 

The next morning at the compromising hour of 9am, Yona met Hak back in the gym. He led her through the proper Aikido techniques, and also taught her some Krav Maga moves. Hak was tough, strict, and the best teacher Yona could ask for. Not that she would ever tell him. Within a week Yona was already leaps and bounds ahead of where she had been before on her own. She fully committed herself to the exercises, determined to become better. 

Sometimes The Dragons would come to these exercise sessions as well. Each of them had been doing some form of martial art for years to keep in shape. Yona would learn a bit from them, or Hak would show her how to do a modified form of the movement that would better her reach and stature. What she loved most was when one of the Dragons, usually Kija or Jae-ha, would have a no-holds-barred, full-out fight against Hak. Yona would watch in awe, as they would move around the dance studio, limbs moving so fast they were a blur in the air. 

“Are you sure you’re a Dragon, White Snake?” Hak casually jabbed at Kija one practice. Hak would often call him “White Snake” in reference to Kija’s mullet, and also would often have a mischievous grin on his face when he said it, as it caused Kija to attack him with rage. 

“Well…you…I…,” Kija spluttered as he boxed at Hak with his powerful arms. He was wearing running shorts with leggings underneath and a mesh T-shirt. Hak was in his usual black gym shorts and tight, black T-shirt. 

“Words, White Snake, words,” Hak taunted. 

“You are an uncouth beast!” 

“Thunder Beast,” Hak calmly replied, as he ducked and dodged Kija’s blows. 

“What?” Kija asked, stepping away and panting a bit from the effort of their fight. 

“It’s my call sign the Wind Tribe gave me while I interned with them. Thunder Beast.” 

“What the hell is a Thunder Beast?” Jae-ha asked as he entered the room. He was dressed in long, loose drawstring workout pants that sat low on his hips and a tight, black tank top.

“Me,” Hak simply replied. “Here to work out too, Mr. Droopy Eyes?”

“The ladies love my bedroom eyes, thank you very much, Thunder Beast. And yes, I’d like a turn against you.” 

Before replying, Hak surprised Yona by turning to her instead. “I’ll put this pretty boy in his place, Princess, and then it’s you and I again.” 

Yona tried not to show how her breath caught at intimacy his words implied. She was also touched that Hak hadn’t forgotten her, and was still keeping her on his mind.   
She nodded her assent. She enjoyed Hak’s bouts against Jae-ha and was curious to see how this match would turn out. So she hugged her pink legging clad legs to her black mesh racer-back covered chest, and settled in to analyze the fight. 

As if he read her mind, Hak said, “It shouldn’t take me too long to put him on his ass. But make sure to study form and watch for mistakes. Him- not me. I don’t make mistakes.” 

“We’ll see,” Jae-ha said, a note of steel in his voice. “And I’d thank you to leave my ass out of this.” 

However, sure enough, within moments Hak did indeed flip Jae-ha on his ass. Though it was a brief fight, it was intense. While Kija relied on his powerful arms, Jae-ha relied on his legs and came at Hak with a lot of fancy kicks, forcing Hak to quickly dart away, or even leap over Jae-ha’s legs. However Hak seemed to quickly figure out Jae-ha’s moves as he grabbed Jae-ha’s leg as he zoomed towards his head, and flipped Jae-ha hard onto his butt. 

“All right, Princess,” Hak said, practically stalking back over to Yona. Yona tried to surreptitiously admire Hak’s physique and realized that even though he had fought two matches he had barely broken a sweat. He reached out a hand to pull her up off the floor. “Tell me where White Snake and Droopy Eyes went wrong. Then you can tell me how amazing I was instead of just undressing me with your eyes.” 

She swatted at his chest in response. The stupid Thunder Beast just laughed. 

The next weekend the band had moved to a nearby town for their next concert appearance. They were at a similar, albeit slightly smaller venue, but it still had a workout room where Hak and Yona could continue training. 

Hak flipped Yona onto her back for what seemed to be the twentieth time that day. “You’re doing well,” he said, a sincere smile on his face. “It’s getting harder for me to flip you.” 

“You’re just saying that,” Yona panted as air flooded back into her knocked-out lungs. 

“You’ve been just as determined to do well at this as you are when you’re out on stage.” 

“I won’t let anything jeopardize the band. They’re my family and no one hurts us. Not again…” she trailed off. 

“I’ll always be here to protect you.” 

Hak leaned down so that once again his face was very close to hers. His torso was almost flush with hers, and Yona knew that her breasts were pressing against Hak’s chest. Hak seemed to realize this too as his normally warrior-hard eyes softened as he gazed back at her. 

“Princess,” he softly said, letting the word hang in the air.

Yona’s lips parted, and she was unsure of how, if at all, to respond. But before she could make up her mind on this internal dispute, the spell seemed to be broken and Hak seemed to draw back into himself. 

“I suspect something might happen at tonight’s concert,” he said, his tone indicating he was back to the professional guard he was. 

“You think so?” Yona asked. 

“The Wind Tribe and I will be monitoring everything, but if anyone manages to somehow make their way to you, I believe you’ll be able to handle yourself.” 

“If I have to fight I’ll do my best, but at least won’t make it easy for anyone!” Yona proclaimed. 

“That’s my girl,” Hak said with a fond smile as he took Yona’s hands to pull her to her feet. 

However, instead of releasing her hands once Yona was standing, Hak continued to hold them, staring at them with an inscrutable look on his face. 

“Hak?” she questioned softly. 

He shook his head ever so slightly, as if shaking off whatever he had been thinking, and quickly dropped her hands. “Just make sure if you do have to fight an assailant you don’t knock yourself in the head with your own fists…again…”

Yona punched him on the arm. “That was one time!”

“I am certainly never forgetting it,” Hak grinned unrepentantly as he rubbed his arm. 

“Jerk,” Yona growled, causing Hak to let loose a deep laugh. 

Yona left to go get ready for tonight’s concert. She headed back to her personal tour bus parked outside. It was basically a palace. It had everything from a small theater area to a luxurious king bed, to a Jacuzzi tub. She definitely didn’t share it with the Dragons. They had their own bus. 

Yona dressed in a sparkly red halter-top and tight, black leather pants with thigh high boots. She pulled her shoulder-length red hair up into a messy ponytail and attached a pair of long dangly earrings to her ears. After teasing her ponytail a final time, she gave a satisfied nod and went to exit the bus. 

Standing guard outside was one of the new Wind Tribe guards, a young man by the name of Han-Dae. Yona found him entertaining and had enjoyed his presence over the past week. 

“All right Han-Dae, you can radio them that I’m on my way to the stadium,” she said as she began to step off of the bus. 

However before she realized what was happening she was violently knocked back inside. The person had attacked her right when she was mid-step, catching her unawares. And clearly, this was not Han-Dae. 

Yona was now lying on the bus stairs and was scrambling to get back up and to her feet. She swept a spiked boot-clad leg out and felt it hit solid flesh, making her attacker hit the stairwell wall. She kept whirling her legs around, frantically trying to use all of her training to keep her attacker away, but she was unfortunately outclassed as a large man was able to dodge her flying legs and pin them to the stairwell wall. 

“Good effort,” a familiar voice said that made her blood run cold. Before Yona could again try to rise a heavy boot landed on her throat, restricting her air and making speech impossible. “But not good enough. And especially not against me.” 

Unable to speak, Yona instead glared up at the man from her past who had almost ruined everything: Soo-Won. 

“Can you imagine I was released on good behavior?” Soo-Won continued. “And my law team and I made sure to keep that knowledge private. Otherwise you and I wouldn’t be able to have this little visit!”

Soo-won pulled out a knife from his boot, and bent down to look more intensely at Yona. The pressure increased on her throat and Yona had to begin gasping for each breath. Soo-Won held the knife so that the tip pricked the underside of her chin. 

“You’re going to do as I say, or The Dragons will be permanently without a lead singer. And that nice young security guard tied up behind the bus will be run over. Nod if you understand.”

Yona glared at him. If she moved her neck at all she’d be impaled on the knife. 

Soo-won laughed as he correctly interpreted her look and removed the weapon. Once it was gone Yona gave a single nod. 

“I’m going to let you up, and you’re going to do as I say. I need you alive…for now. But that part of the plan can easily be changed.” Soo-Won lifted the boot from Yona’s neck. She gave a deep inhale, letting air flood into her lungs. 

“Monster,” Yona spat at him, her voice now raspy. Her throat was already throbbing from the boot on it, and she was sure her trachea was bruised. 

“I’ve been called worse. Kye-Sook! Get in here!” Soo-Won called outside. Another man dressed in a Wind Tribe security jacket slunk inside the bus. He had hard, black eyes and a long black ponytail. 

Correctly interpreting Yona’s questioning look Soo-Won elaborated, “Wind Tribe Holdings has such a basic design for their uniform any plebian with an embroidery machine can recreate their uniforms. Kye-Sook was my cellmate, and helped me hatch up this little plan for my revenge. I wouldn’t cross him, Yona dear. He’s more cold hearted than I am.” 

“Do you want me to take the wheel, sir?” Kye-Sook asked in a monotone voice. 

“Yes. Of course drive casual, and if we’re stopped say a warning light came on in the bus and you’re taking it in for repairs.” 

“Yes, sir.” Kye-Sook got into the driver’s seat and fired up the rig, expertly putting it into drive and beginning to move it out. 

“Meanwhile, Princess,” Soo-Won said, and Yona’s body involuntarily seized at being called the pet name that was between her and her band family by this pretentious white-collar criminal. “I want you back here, in the sitting area, and you’re going to become very acquainted with this chair.” 

Soo-Won made quick work of tying Yona’s arms and legs to the standard kitchen chair that came with her bus. 

“I don’t know how, yet,” Yona rasped, her throat on fire. “But you are going to pay for this.” 

Soo-Won chuckled. “You know, I was thinking of gagging you to make sure you didn’t scream for help. But I think I like this better. You, trying to scream with the little ability you have to do so, and no one being able to hear you.” 

Yona didn’t bother to respond, but continued to glare at Soo-Won, pouring all of her hate and loathing into her violet eyes. Soo-Won simply stroked her cheek. “Those eyes used to haunt my dreams,” he softly said. “They were the last thing I saw before they took me out of that courtroom and to jail.”

For a moment Yona had hope that she could reason with him. But then that quickly changed when Soo-Won’s voice hardened and he said, “But that’s all in the past, and the only thing to look to is the future. And the future is all mine. I doubt there will be a place for you in it.”

Soo-Won roughly patted her cheek and went up to join Kye-Sook up front. Yona seethed in her chair, but immediately began flexing and maneuvering her wrists to see if she could get out of her rope bonds. A small noise above her caused Yona’s head to dart up, and she almost sobbed with relief at the sight of the man who’d moved the bus skylight window away and was now peering down at her. 

Hak! She mouthed the word, not wanting to alert Soo-Won to his presence. Hak held a finger to his lips. He then held an object up and let Yona see it. As soon as she realized what it was she nodded her understanding and Hak dropped a knife down through the window. Yona quickly spread her legs to let the knife land with a small thud in the seat of her chair. 

Yona anxiously looked up to see if Soo-Won had noticed anything, but he and Kye-Sook were navigating through the narrow dirt roads that wound around the back of the concert hall. Quickly Yona bent down to bite the handle of the knife with her teeth. She yanked the knife out of the chair and maneuvered the handle in her mouth a bit, before tossing her head back, spitting it into the air, and letting it toss behind her so that she expertly caught it in her upturned bound hands. She and Hak had practiced escape measures in case she did happen to get caught. 

Hak gripped the edge of the bus roof, flying up a bit when the bus hit a pothole and landing back down again with a loud “thump”. The bump also caused the knife to slip in Yona’s hands and she accidentally cut herself, unable to mute the hiss of pain that left her mouth. 

“What was that?” Soo-Won turned around from the front to glare at Yona.

She simply glared back at him and tightly fisted her bound hands to make sure no blood dripped from them onto the floor, thus alerting Soo-Won to what she was up to. Soo-Won narrowed his eyes at Yona, but turned around all the same to continue monitoring the road ahead. 

As soon as his back was turned Yona began sawing at her rope bonds again. A small noise made her look up in time to see Hak, using the edge of the open skylight as a lever, do a frontwards flip into the bus, landing softly in front of her. He quickly went to work cutting the rope to free her legs. 

“Hak,” Yona whispered to him with the barest of breaths, the word hardly escaping her mouth. 

Yet of course Hak heard her anyway. He looked up at her, winked, and after freeing one leg he gave it a gentle pat on her calf and moved on to the other. Yona blushed and went back to work on freeing her hands. 

Yona freed her hands right after Hak took care of the last rope around her ankle. He quickly put a finger to her lips to silence her if she planned on exclaiming about her freedom. She rolled her eyes at him as if to silently communicate, “Of course I won’t say anything, I’m not stupid!” 

Hak grinned at her, but left his finger on her lips for an instant longer as they stared at each other. And for that brief bit of time there was no danger, no hijacked bus, and best of all- no Soo-Won.

Hak seemed to shake himself out of whatever moment they were sharing, and whispered in Yona’s ear, “Pretend you’re still bound and wait for my move.” Then he darted behind her. 

Yona was confused for a moment before she heard Kye-Sook exclaim from the front, “What the hell?”

“I wondered if they would pull such a stunt,” Soo-Won said, his voice low and cold. 

“Should I ram them?”

“No. See if they scatter, but don’t hurt them. If they stay I’ll handle them.” 

Yona stretched her neck to see what was happening and had to bite back a gasp of astonishment. Standing in a line across the road and blocking the path of the oncoming bus were The Dragons. Gone were their jovial, suave, playboy expressions, and in their place were the expressions of hardened warriors. They rarely showed this side of themselves, and the only other time Yona had seen them look like this was when they faced Soo-Won at the trial. They held no weapons, but Yona knew from all their fitness training in the martial arts, they were the weapons. And right now, those weapons looked very deadly. 

The bus came screeching to a stop right in front of The Dragons, just a few inches from their faces. Of course they had not scattered, but had held their ground.   
Soo-Won pulled out a handgun. “Guess I’ll have to take care of them,” he said. 

From behind Yona a throwing star flew through the air to slice the gun in half. Soo-Won and Kye-Sook both whirled around to see where the star had come from. Soo-Won didn’t say anything, just pursed his lips in displeasure. He looked at the menacing figure of Hak standing behind Yona, and glanced at The Dragons who were hurrying to the bus, and figured the odds were not in his favor. 

Soo-Won darted down the stairwell of the bus and out the door, while Kye-Sook kicked out the driver’s side window, grabbed the upper window frame, and swung out of the bus. The Dragons had split forces, with Kija and Jae-ha engaging Soo-Won and Zeno and Shin-ah fighting against Kye-Sook. 

Hak dashed over to the bus radio and quickly sent out an all-systems alert. “That should get us some help, and the police,” he said. 

He then looked to Yona, who was struggling to bind her slit wrists with a cloth napkin from the table. He came back over to help her. “We’ll get you taken care of in no time,” he said, deftly bandaging up her wounds and placing a kiss over them. “Go lock yourself in your bedroom or something, and I’ll guard the door. I’m not letting anyone else harm you this evening.” 

“No! I need to help The Dragons!”

Hak saw the determination in her face and knew that there was no arguing with her. He sighed in defeat. “Fine then, but at least take this.” He pulled out a handgun from one side of his shoulder harness and gave it to her. “At least please stay in the bus and then shoot if anyone tries to take you.” 

Yona’s hand trembled as she reached out to take the weapon, but her hands were steady once she held the gun in her grasp and she gave Hak a firm nod to show her understanding. 

Hak gave a fierce smile. “I’m looking forward to punching that bastard in the face.” 

He grabbed Yona around the waist, pulled her towards him, and bent down to place a brief, hard, and yet passionate kiss on her lips, conveying all of his feelings toward her with one act. Yona reveled in the feeling, her blood singing in joy and the aches in her wrists and ankles gone. But then it was over all too soon as Hak pulled away, and dashed down the stairs to join Kija and Jae-ha in their fight against Soo-Won.

Meanwhile, Zeno and Shin-ah had their hands full with Kye-Sook, who seemed to be everywhere at once. The blue and yellow haired Dragons were working as one unit, with one of them making an opening in Kye-Sook’s defense and the other punching through that opening, but Kye-Sook appeared to be a skilled fighter and Yona could tell that for the moment, it was an evenly matched fight that did not appear to have a clear future winner. 

And if that fight looked intense, it was nothing to the maelstrom that was Hak collaborating with Jae-ha and Kija against Soo-Won. Prison had certainly and unexpectedly changed Soo-Won, as Yona knew he did not nearly have this level of fight expertise before he was incarcerated. Soo-Won had pulled out two knives that must have been secreted somewhere on his person, and was a whirling and slashing blur. Hak had pulled his long knife out from his spine sheath and was fighting back, yet he and his Dragon team were doing all they could just to keep him contained. Yona had a gut feeling that if Soo-Won got away this night he wouldn’t underestimate them again and would come back for the band with a vengeance. This had to end now. 

Over the crackle of the bus CB radio Yona heard Yoon announcing that the Wind Tribe guards were close, with the police not far behind them. But as she looked back to the fights on either side of the bus, she knew they wouldn’t arrive in time. 

Soo-Won had managed to catch Jae-ha’s arm with the knife, and the green-haired man was scrambling away from the fight, tightly clutching his forearm and trying to staunch the flow of blood from the wound. Now Kija and Hak were working together against Soo-Won, but it was much more difficult with Jae-ha down. 

Making her decision, and knowing it would be risky, Yona held up Hak’s gun, and carefully followed the fight between Soo-Won, the white Dragon, and the Thunder Beast. She saw Hak glance up to her, and knew within a split second he had figured out what she was planning, as he began to fight more at Soo-Won’s side than directly in front of him. 

Yona waited a few tense seconds for her opening, and then once she had it did not hesitate to pull the trigger and shoot Soo-Won in his right shoulder. The bullet was magically placed just perfectly as it appeared to go through, grazing his shoulder blade but shattering his clavicle as it exited. Neither Hak nor his Dragons were caught in the bullet’s path. Soo-Won dropped like a stone, clutching a hand over his upper chest. Hak threw some zip ties out of his jacket to Kija, who darted forward to bind Soo-Won up, while Hak ran over to help Zeno and Shin-ah. 

With the arrival of the Thunder Beast, Kye-Sook realized he was definitely outnumbered and not going to win. He quickly stepped back with his hands up and declared his surrender. Zeno used more zip ties on Kye-Sook, binding him up under Shin-ah’s watchful eye. 

Threats neutralized, Yona ran out of the bus while Hak turned his attention to the injured green Dragon. “Will you be ok?” Hak asked. 

Jae-ha, face pale and lines of pain around his mouth, still gave his signature debonair grin. “I’ll be sparing against you in no time,” he replied. 

Yona trotted over to make sure for herself that her band mate was all right, but tripped as Soo-Won swept his legs out, forcing her to stumble. Hak was beside her in a flash, a solid, immoveable presence who immediately put a steadying hand on her elbow and stopped her fall. He pulled Yona in under his protective arm, and kicked at Soo-Won’s feet. 

“You,” he gritted out through clenched teeth and enunciating every word. “Will never touch, talk, or even see her ever again.” 

“Jail isn’t forever,” Soo-Won calmly said, though his eyes were cold with hatred. His wound didn’t appear to be affecting him. “I’ll be out again one day. No matter if it’s in two days or two decades. But I’ll be out again. And where will you be then?”

“Still right here, at her side, where I belong.” 

Yona’s heart stopped for a moment, but she forced herself not to react and continued to glare at Soo-Won. Their eyes met for a brief moment and Yona knew Soo-Won didn’t see the timid little backup singer anymore, but the true leader of Crimson and the Dragons. 

“Anything to say?” Soo-Won sneered at her. 

Yona knew she didn’t have to answer and that the point had already been made; yet she felt the need to hammer it home. “You are nothing we will ever need to concern ourselves with ever again,” she said, and then turned away to check on Jae-ha. She heard Hak chuckle behind her. 

Soon the Wind Tribe guards, police, and EMS arrived. The EMTs stabilized Soo-Won before handing him and Kye-Sook off to the police. Yona sat next to Jae-ha, gently holding his now-bandaged hand. Zeno sat on her other side and Kija sat next to Jae-ha, silently acting as a ballast of strength for his injured fellow Dragon. Shin-ah and Hak stood over them all, standing guard. 

“How about,” Jae-ha said as they all watched Soo-Won get loaded into the ambulance along with several armed guards. “We stick to rocking with our music and not with our fists in the future.”

“Fine by me,” Kija replied. 

“It’s probably better for our health,” Zeno said. 

Shin-ah fervently nodded his agreement. 

Yona stood up. “Let’s go home,” she said. 

Technically “home” was in a different city, but they went back to the concert arena where Yoon immediately mobbed them and fussed over the group like a mother hen. He tried to insist that Yona and Jae-ha get their injuries checked out again “just in case,” but was thankfully talked out of it by Kija and Hak. 

The show had certainly been canceled, and though it was early by rocker standards, the group wanted nothing more than to go to bed after such an exhausting evening. No one wanted to be alone either, so Yona found herself in a California king bed in The Dragon’s bus, sleeping in her tank top and shorts pajama set, in the middle of a heap of Dragons plus Yoon. Hak was on a sofa right outside the door, and the Wind Tribe was guarding the rest of the bus. 

Yona had probably only slept for a few hours before her still-wired mind jerked her awake. She stared up at the dark ceiling, listening to the gentle snores and quiet breathing of the men surrounding her, and tried to calm her mind to go back to sleep. It wasn’t working. 

With an internal sigh Yona carefully and quietly extricated herself from the center of the bed and picked her way around sleeping bodies before slipping out of the room. She closed the door behind her, and then leaned against it, considering what to do now, when a low voice spoke from in front of her. 

“Sleep walking, Princess?” Hak asked, sitting up on the sofa. 

Yona took a step forward. “I couldn’t sleep.” 

“Not surprising. Come on to the kitchen, I’ll make you some hot cocoa.”

Hak stood and Yona saw he was only wearing a pair of black sweatpants and no shirt. “Aren’t you cold?” she couldn’t help asking. 

Hak smirked at her. “Offering to warm me up?”

“No!”

Yona perched herself on the kitchen counter and watched as Hak started making hot cocoa from scratch, with milk and everything. They didn’t speak, which was fine with Yona as she still didn’t know how to verbalize all the thoughts tumbling through her brain. 

Soon Hak was ladling up a mug of cocoa and handing it to her. She blew on the hot liquid and carefully took a sip. “Mmm!” she instinctively said as the sweet chocolate hit her tongue and warmed her up in places she didn’t know were cold. “This is perfect.” 

Hak was intently watching her, and saw when her tight shoulders finally relaxed. “I want you to know,” he said, his voice soft and tender, causing Yona too look up at him in surprise. “That for only a week’s worth of training you were amazing and impressed the hell out of me. Not many girls, or men for that matter, could have done what you did tonight.” 

Yona started to shiver uncontrollably, everything manifesting all at once and she quickly set her mug down and wrapped her arms around herself. “I was so scared,” she whispered, finally verbalizing the emotion. “I told myself that whatever happened I’d go down fighting, but I also prepared myself for the chance I never saw my family again…or you.” 

Strong, warm arms enfolded her, wrapping around her back and under her knees as she was lifted off of the counter and held tightly to Hak’s chest. He carried her out of the kitchen and back to his sofa, lying down with her in his arms and holding her as her body continued to shiver. He stroked her fiery red hair and kissed the top of her head. 

“I’ve got you,” he murmured. “And I’ll always come after you.” 

He continued to hold her and the simple fact of his solid presence soothed Yona and helped her calm down. Though he held her close, Yona didn’t feel trapped in his arms. In fact, she had never felt safer. 

Once the shivers of fear finally ran their course and left, Yona looked up at Hak, her small, slender hand reaching up to caress his cheek. “Thank you, for always coming to my rescue.” 

“I have complete faith that you would have been able to rescue yourself.” 

It was the best thing anyone could have said to her, and it meant all the more coming from the man Yona secretly believed was invincible. She grabbed the back of Hak’s head and pulled him down to her so she could kiss him. 

Hak was still for just a second as his brain processed what was happening, but then his arms pulled her against him so that her chest was pressed up against his. One of his arms wrapped around her low back to hold her close, while the other went around her shoulders so he could cup the base of her skull with his hand and run his fingers through her hair. 

Hak kissed her like she was the breath he needed to survive. Though Yona might be small and delicate looking, Hak knew she was capable of far more than most people realized, including even herself. So he didn’t hold back, and kissed her with all of the passion that had pent up in him for all the time they had worked together and he’d had to restrain himself. 

Meanwhile Yona took all of that passion and channeled it right back, taking the initiative to sweep her tongue in his mouth and taste every bit of him. Once she had sufficiently feasted on the taste of Hak’s mouth she withdrew to place wet, open-mouthed kisses down the strong column of his neck. Hak had since discovered that Yona didn’t wear a bra to bed, and had one hand cupped over her breast, with this thumb lazily circling over her nipple to bring it to attention. 

Yona shivered at his touch and found a particularly delicious part on Hak where the neck flowed into the top of the shoulder. There she couldn’t help but bite and suck at that spot, causing Hak to hiss in pleasure and his hips jumped to press against hers. 

Hak immediately stilled, and Yona looked up at him questioningly. “We shouldn’t get too carried away,” he murmured, reaching up to let the backs of his fingers stroke down Yona’s cheeks. “We have a mother hen and some Dragons just a few feet away from us.” 

Yona’s eyes widened in understanding “Hopefully they’re still asleep,” she whispered. 

“We’re not!” Jae-ha cheerfully called from the bedroom, behind the closed door. 

“None of us are,” they heard Kija grumble. 

“All of you stupid beasts go to sleep!” Yoon yelled. 

Hak and Yona chuckled before Hak again pulled Yona to him. She rested her head on Hak’s surprisingly comfortable bicep, he slung a leg over hers, and she wove one of her legs between his. Hak pulled the blankets up to cover them, and then rested his head on hers. Yona gave a happy sigh and the last thing she thought before she fell asleep was how kind fate had been to her.


End file.
